I was not elected, but what we achieved is remarkable. Thank you all who supported me throughout the campaign! - I will continue advocating for your concerns
The 2024 PIPSC National Elections results: ~15% of voters (1500 votes) chose Dmitry to be their part-time Vice-President, 5% of which (495 votes) ranked him as their top (#1) choice for this position
UPDATE & SUMMARY:
This article has been extended to include detailed 2024 PIPSC National Election results and a breakdown of votes for each candidate: Dmitry was ranked as the 1st choice on 495 ballots (5%) and as the 2nd choice on approximately 1000 ballots (10%), totalling 1500 ballots (15%) of voters choosing Dmitry to be one of two PIPSC part-time Vice Presidents.
This result provides a valuable insight into the percentage of members dissatisfied with the Union’s actions regarding political interference and vaccination mandates—key points that set Dmitry’s electoral program apart from the other eleven candidates. Given that only 13% of eligible voters participated in the election, and recognizing that those who are unhappy with the Union tend to be less engaged (let’s conservatively estimate by a factor of 2), this percentage can be extrapolated to roughly (15%) × 2 = 30% of the total Union membership (82,449, according to the latest count), which equates to approximately 25,000 members.
While some may argue this is a minority, it is a significant one—highlighting a group of professionals within the Union whose voices deserve to be heard and whose issues must be addressed. This is why I ran for the part-time Vice President position, and it is why I pledge to continue advocating for these concerns. Together, we can work to ensure that every member feels represented and respected in our Union!
Related:
Main feature:
The results of the 2024 PIPSC National Elections are in (See Appendix A for details). The two part-time Vice-President positions were filled from twelve candidates— and I was not one of them. While it might seem like a loss, I don’t view it that way. What we’ve accomplished together—thanks to everyone who nominated me, voted for me, and supported me throughout the campaign—is truly remarkable!
Let’s recap the key five achievements made:
The foundations have been laid for raising your concerns and advocating for your fundamental and professional rights “in these times of heightened political and industry pressures which have intensified in recent years due to the pandemic and other global initiatives”, as quoted from my Election Portal and town hall presentation, which can now be accessed directly from the official PIPSC website. The fight for these rights is far from over, but we have now set the stage for these important conversations.
Many of you shared your concerns and personal stories with me—stories that no one else seemed willing to talk about within the Union. These are the stories of tragedies, discrimination, and extreme distress caused by the Mandatory Vaccination Policy (The Mandate) and, as some of you have put it, the “betrayal” of the Union at a time when members needed it most. Some of these stories have already been published on my Election Portal, and I will continue adding more as they come in.
This experience has been invaluable - not only as an opportunity to bring attention issues you raised, but to learn more about the intricacies of internal politics within the Union. I had the chance to meet and speak with many senior executives and veteran Union members, which allowed me to push the boundaries of the “information bubble” in which many of them operate. Additionally, I collaborated with some of them during the recent 2024 PIPSC AGM to introduce important new motions and better advocate for the interests of members.
As I was warned, I’ve experienced firsthand what politics is about and how difficult it could be for someone like me who has different professional, cultural and spiritual background compared to most people around me. However, you gave me strength and empowered me to become Your Voice in PIPSC—the voice for those who feel that their concerns, particularly those related to the traumas and discrimination caused by the employer’s Mandatory Vaccination Policy (The Mandate), and the inadequate support from the Union, have not been heard.
In the absence of any surveys conducted by the Union on these matters, the election results provide valuable insight into the proportion of Union members concerned with political interference and vaccination mandates—issues central to Dmitry’s electoral program but absent from those of the other eleven candidates and not currently listed on the PIPSC News & Issues page. With 15% of voters supporting Dmitry for a part-time Vice-President position, it suggests that approximately one-third of the Union's membership resonates with or is significantly affected by these concerns. This statistic is a powerful tool that Dmitry plans to leverage in advocating for these topics to be prioritized by the Union. Concrete steps are already underway: Dmitry has authored several resolutions for the 2024 PIPSC AGM aimed at addressing these concerns. You can read more about these resolutions in this article.
What’s next:
Please continue sharing your stories and concerns with me, and I will keep seeking ways to ensure they are heard and acted upon—in my ongoing capacity as NCR Executive, as a regular member who now has a deeper understanding of how the Union operates, as data scientist who analyzed Public Service Employees Survey (PSES) data, and as a concerned Canadian citizen who is more aware than ever now of the challenges you’ve faced.
I encourage everyone who voted for me to connect with me personally (via email at dmitry.gorodnichy@gmail.com, Cc: pipsc@gorodnichy.ca) so that I can reach out for your feedback as I keep exploring the options to further support you.
To stay updated on my efforts and contribute to them, please subscribe to this Substack. You may also consider subscribing to my other Substack, called “Who Can Tell Me The Truth?”, where I explore the evidence which is often hidden from the public and which I believe could help inform our efforts.
And, don’t forget to check out the updates on my Portal: dmitry.gorodnichy.ca. Note however that only English pages are currently being updated.
Let us remember that it is only through our mutual effort and collective action that we can overcome the challenges we face. Thank you once again for all your support and contributions in making this possible!
Addendum A: Detailed 2024 National Election Results
These statistics are also added to the Data Evidence pages on my Election Portal.
Source: 2024 PIPSC National Election – detailed results.
Table below shows all published statistics.
Votes ranking methodology:
PIPSC uses ranking system, which is described in PIPSC Election Tabulation Methodology
This methodology yield more democratic result (no vote is wasted). However, it makes it more difficult to report the total counts of all ranked votes obtained by each candidate.
It is also not clear (to me, at least) how this ranking system deals with the hypothetical scenario in which a candidate running for one of TWO EQUAL positions (as was the case for VP candidates) is ranked SECOND in all (100%) ballots, however does NOT get elected because s/he is never ranked FIRST.
Dmitry’s TODO: follow-up with PIPSC Elections team to clarify this
Key results observed from the Table:
A total of 495 members (5% of those who voted in this election) ranked Dmitry as their top (#1) choice for the VP (Part-Time) position.
Based on #1 choice rankings, Dmitry was 4th from the bottom and 7th from the top
After adding 2nd choice votes from voters whose #1 choice was eliminated prior to Dmitry’s elimination (three candidates in total), 592 members ranked Dmitry as their first or second choice.
Unfortunately, the total number of voters who selected Dmitry as their 2nd choice is not shown in the results table. However, this number can be estimated using the "voting preference similarity" rule, often used by advertising algorithms. This rule suggests that if a voter (consumer) ranks both candidates (products) A and B highly, others who rank B highly are also likely to rank A similarly. Applying this principle and analyzing the distribution of additional votes after Dmitry's elimination, it can be estimated that roughly 1,000 (10%) members had Dmitry as their 2nd choice.
By combining all 1st and 2nd choice votes, Dmitry received an estimated total of approximately 1,500 (15%) votes for the position of part-time Vice-President.
Dmitry’s TODO: follow-up with PIPSC Elections team to ask if it is possible to also publish ALL ranked votes for ALL candidates
Other Insights:
13% of eligible voters participated in the 2024 National Elections, representing a 1% increase from the 2021 National Elections.
Dmitry’s TODO: Request a breakdown of voters by Group and Department. Based on the representation of various Groups and Agencies in the Union's executive echelons, it appears that members in certain Groups, such as Researchers (RE), and certain Agencies, such as NRC, show significantly less interest in Union elections and other Union affairs compared to others, such as the AFS or IT Groups, or agencies like CRA.
Dmitry was the only candidate in the VP (part-time) category who has not previously run in any national election or who held an executive Union position for an extended period of time.
Thank you so much Dmitry for waging and continuing the fight the good fight. You are exactly correct - we need to continue and never stop this fight. It is beyond unbelievable, completely unfounded, and utterly criminal the way our federal government and the unions that are supposed to protect us - instead - allowed and contributed to "the stories of tragedies, discrimination, and extreme distress caused by the Mandatory Vaccination Policy (The Mandate) and, as some of you have put it, the “complete betrayal” of the Union at a time when members needed it most.". So well said - and your work and efforts are so needed - and so appreciated! Thank you Dmitri!